A Few of My Favorite Things - Apps

   I recently (finally) got modern smartphone.  My previous phone was the "free" phone from over 2 years ago.  Even when I had a basic smartphone I very quickly found useful apps that used everyday.

   Someone was recently asking me what apps I use on my phone.  I thought it would be useful to make a list of some of my favorites here and focus on those that I use most.

Tis The Season - Holiday Spams and Scams

   We have always had the need to be careful online. We always have to be aware of what sites we are visiting and what apps were using. I've written about this in my series on Online Self-Defense.

   But at this time of year you have to be even more careful. The amount of online trouble increases. Your volume of work may increase, you're often stressed during the holidays and may not pay as much attention to what you're doing online.

   There are also many e-cards and "cute" pictures and videos that have to be shared.  This, and other information, floods our inboxes, social media timelines and chat/text lists. Many of these have links. And unfortunately, far too many of these links go to malicious sites.

   Here's a great list of some common holiday spams/scams. Here's another.

We're All In This Together

   You are not alone. I've written on topics relevant to parents, families, digital citizens, computer users, security professionals, IT professionals, leaders. No matter what your questions or concerns, whether you are a parent trying to decide if your child is old enough for a smart phone or a Facebook account, or a security professional trying to move your program forward, you're in good company.

   Last week I was at the NG Security Summit in Austin Texas. One of the great things about a security leadership conference like this is that we get to talk with, and hear from, people from many organizations and situations who have security responsibility. In particular, regardless of industry segment, size of organization, locality or product, we all have similar challenges.  The topics and challenges resonate. Common themes emerge.

Keeping Up and Podcasts

   Recently I was talking with a colleague about keeping up with information. We actually were comparing smartphones. During the conversation we talked about podcasts and podcatching software. I'll talk about what I use below.

   We are talking about what podcasts we listen to.  One thing that was surprised me was that he mentioned that many technical people he interacts with don't listen to podcasts! I found that surprising. I figured most technical and security people know all about podcasts. Podcasts are hardly new.

   There are podcasts for all kinds of subjects. I listen to podcasts about security, technology, sports, news, science, leadership, getting things done/productivity and other subjects.

   I think that listening to podcasts is one of the best ways to both learn and keep up.